Research is underway at Oregon State University to focus on potato virus Y (PVY), one of the most important plant viruses affecting potato production.
Researchers first began looking at four different genes that could determine a plant’s susceptibility to the virus. They also identified a separate gene that could restrict the amount of virus traveling through the plant, but it cannot totally control the spread.
However, a major problem is that infected plants can be hard to identify.
Aymeric Goyer states, “The second project we’ve been working on is the potential of applying a peptide to potatoes to trigger symptoms in asymptomatic plants.”
In the study, plants are infected mechanically, with the peptide applied 30 days after inoculation. The treated plants then get put on different application schedules and concentrations.
